In the first of our two articles supporting the debate on the Economy, Trade and Rural Affairs (ETRA) Committee report: Green Economy, in Plenary, we explored decarbonising the economy. Now, in our second article, we will explore what green skills are and what associated challenges are present in Wales.
What are green skills?
During its scrutiny work, various stakeholders told the committee there is some confusion surrounding what is meant by ‘green skills’.
Representatives of ColegauCymru emphasised the importance of conveying what this term means. They suggested there can be challenges in communicating the potential of green skills to young people when they are unfamiliar with what this means in practice.
While there are various definitions of ‘green skills’, a recent 2025 Capgemini report ‘Youth Perspectives on Climate: Preparing for a sustainable future’ outlines the example it used for its study:
The things young people learn to help our planet and protect the environment. They are skills that help people take care of nature, stop pollution, and use resources wisely.
Confusion surrounding the term was also raised at the ETRA Committee in March 2024 by then Minister for Economy, Vaughan Gething:
…we need to stop talking about green skills, but to talk about skills to take us to a net-zero economy or to meet the climate challenge in a way that doesn’t get us into just talking about green skills, because so much evidence from sectors was that they thought that green skills were about working with the environment or recycling projects…
More recently, Welsh Government has been using the term ‘net zero skills’. Although, as identified in its ‘Stronger, Fairer, Greener Wales: Net Zero Action Plan’, the confusion about what green/ net zero jobs are creates the need for a shared understanding of net zero skills.
Recognising there was no universally accepted definition of net zero skills, Welsh Government proposed a definition in its consultation of net zero sector skills:
An umbrella term that refers to skills, competencies and knowledge within employment that supports our transition to a net zero economy. This can relate to all sectors, organisations, and industries, whether directly or indirectly, on their path to net zero.
While responses to this consultation indicated general agreement on the range of skills included in the definition, there were some concerns including the lack of specificity or examples of what skills are included.
While neither of the above definitions include examples, Capgemini’s report lists a number of ‘hard green skills’ as well as ‘soft skills critical for sustainability careers’. Capgemini referred to the following hard green skills::
- sustainable design
- sustainable energy
- sustainable transportation
- environmental policy
- water conservation
- climate change
- recycling/ waste reduction
- eco-friendly consumer habits
- energy conservation
- sustainable agriculture
- climate technologies
- data analysis
Though this is not an exhaustive list, with further examples of green skills listed elsewhere, such as Careers Wales' website:
- Technical skills to install renewable energy systems
- Construction skills needed to build or repair sustainable buildings and homes
- Creative skills to design products that have a reduced impact on the environment
- Communication skills needed to educate or encourage people to recycle
Welsh Government’s policy
In recent years, green skills has become an increasing feature within Welsh Government policy and funding.
In 2023, it launched its Net zero sector skills consultation to understand views on the skills needed to support transition to net zero for each emission sector in Wales. Feedback and roadmaps of this consultation have since been published on Welsh Government’s website.
One of the First Minister’s, Eluned Morgan’s 2024 priorities for the Welsh Government makes an implicit reference to green skills, “creating green jobs that tackle the climate crisis and restore nature, while making families better off; accelerating planning decisions to grow the Welsh economy”.
More recently the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership, Jack Sargeant, increased investment into the Flexible Skills Programme (FSP) from £1.3m a year to over £7.5m. Employers can apply for grant funding to upskill and retrain employees including for ‘green skills’. A 2024 evaluation report of the FSP identified net zero skills as an area that will experience growing demand over the coming years.
What are the green skills challenges facing Wales?
A series of skills challenges were raised during the Committee’s evidence gathering for this inquiry.
As part of a ‘just transition’, the Wales Centre for Public Policy suggested skills challenges are “likely to include reskilling and retraining workers rather than adapting to wholly new job types, and changes to the education and skills system for new entrants to the labour market”.
However, Make UK stated skills gaps may remain as upskilling and retraining “does not alone solve the immediate shortages of net zero and other skills in the workforce or fill current vacancies”.
While the Federation of Small Businesses Wales reported small businesses in Wales are struggling with accessing sufficiently skilled staff, Onward reported skills shortages are a problem for the green transition in almost every sector.
Marine Energy Wales suggested there are two elements to solving the skills shortage problem: the need to have pipeline, to guarantee that there are projects coming through, and the need for awareness. With Ambition North Wales similarly highlighting the crucial importance of education in “equipping young people with the green skills employers require”.
What’s next?
The Green Economy report makes two recommendations related to skills, which were both accepted in principle by the Welsh Government.
Recommendation 12 suggested the Welsh Government should carry out/ commission a skills audit to better understand what skills provision is currently available and where gaps with provision are. Following this skills audit, Welsh Government should produce a report clearly explaining what is needed and by when. Further, the Welsh Government should address the perceived mismatch between the education and skills system and what industry needs.
Recommendation 13 suggested Welsh Government should set out how it will work with Careers Wales to ensure better integration of careers advice throughout pupils’ education ensuring young people are aware of opportunities presented by Wales’ transition to a greener economy.
Within the ‘Skills’ section of the Green Economy report, the Committee concludes that if we are to take full advantage of the transition to a green economy then Welsh Government must ensure our workforce has the right skills. If the Welsh workforce does not have these skills, businesses will look elsewhere and those jobs will be created there. To ensure the skills are there to encourage investment in Wales and create well-paid and high-skilled jobs, Welsh Government must work with industry and skills providers.
The debate on the Green Economy report is taking place in Plenary on 11 June 2025, you can watch this live on Senedd.tv.
Article by Lucy Morgan and Dr. Thomas Morris, Senedd Research, Welsh Parliament.
